How I Wish He Were Here With Me Again
by Marianna XD
Summary: What would you do if your loved one left on a dangerous mission, in which he might never return, all because of you. Rukia keeps blaming herself on insisting that Ichigo should go to war and fight for his country.
1. Reminisce

Disclaimer: Bleach is obviously not mine!

….

"Mommy!" the four year old infant cried to her mother, "Daisuke hit me again! It's not fair!" Being a single mother was getting its toll on Rukia. She loved her children very much. They were the best thing in her entire life. But dealing with four year old twins wasn't an easy thing to do, not at all. 'One year' she thought. What had she done wrong, surely she couldn't have done anything wrong, and she never messed with peoples live at all, so why was this happening to her, why now, when her children depended on her. She wanted them to look up at her as their idol, she wanted them to follow her steps, but how could they, they were so young and innocent, they couldn't see the pain she was going through, it was as if the world had turned its back to her, 'Or was it me who turned my back to the world?' That was the question. Why did he leave them a year ago? She loved him, and he loved her, that's what he had said. But there was one thing one small thing she knew, one thing that she didn't want to remember. It was her, she had caused this.

"Daisuke, don't hit your sister." Her voice was stern, but deep inside she was tearing up.

"But mo-om!"

"No whining, Daisuke." God, how she wished to hug them and kiss them and tell them that everything was going to be alright. Even though she knew it was wrong, to hide this from them, she still kept up with the idea that he would someday return. 'Oh! How I miss him'

"Daisuke, if father were here he would have punished you."

"Daddy wouldn't have done that, I know he loves me!"

That was all it took for Rukia to break down. She had to cover her mouth with her hand and close her eyes tightly, so she wouldn't cry. "Children, go to your room. It's getting late." She clearly remembered how both, she and Ichigo, would walk them to their room. She would sing them a song, and they'd fall asleep. Ichigo then would bend down and kiss them goodnight. It had all been perfect, up until he received that phone call.

As Rukia slowly walked to her room, she remembered his smiling face at seeing their baby twins. She could barely hear his voice saying, "I would like to call my baby boy Daisuke, I think it's a cute name. Hey, what about Ai for our baby girl? I absolutely love it! Do you like that idea, Rukia?" That was one of the happiest moments of her life. Ichigo changed her life forever. When she entered her bedroom, she turned on the lights and stared at her room. It felt so cold and the bed looked so lonely without him. 'C'mon Rukia, get a hold on yourself, he will come back…someday not far away'. That night, in her cold and lonely bedroom, she dreamt of the day when they first met.

…..

A 17 year old Rukia was sitting in a swing. She looked up at the sky and saw the clouds getting darker, threatening to rain, but she just didn't care. She wanted to stay in that park forever. She didn't want to return home, not now, when things were so critical in her family. Come to think of it, it has always been critical in her family. Rukia was the youngest of two children. As she grew up, she kept noticing that her parents favored her older brother. She loved her brother, but she just couldn't stand being around him. Rukia felt that her mother just simply hated her. Her father loved her, but it wasn't enough, at least not for her. She felt so lonely, so abandoned in this world. At nights, she would cry quietly, wondering if God really existed, surely, He must have something in storage for her life. She wasn't sure though. Rukia sometimes thought that if God really existed, then she wasn't one of His favorites. It didn't help that she didn't have much friends. She didn't make friends easily, and the last ones she had hurt her feelings greatly. She didn't have anyone in her life to hug her, be with her, and hold her. When she would cry at nights, she so wished that someone, anyone, would come and sit at her side, keeping her safe from any harm, but her wish never came true. Until that very day.

Rukia could feel the raindrops hitting her skin lightly, but, again, she didn't care. She closed her eyes and wished for everything to go away. She couldn't stand the loneliness anymore. 'I wonder… if I committed suicide, what would everyone think, would they even care or even remember that I was once alive, I don't think so, so why not try now?' As she was going to stand up and meet her death, a soft voice called to her, little did she know that that voice was of the person that would change her life forever.

"Um, excuse me, you better get home, you're going to get sick if you don't get out of the drenching rain in time." She felt the rain stop, so she opened her eyes slowly and saw a man, a bit older than her, maybe a year older. She looked up and saw an umbrella, 'Like I thought, rain doesn't stop so suddenly, silly me.' She thought bitterly. Rukia looked up at his face; catching his eyes she saw him staring back at her with a blush on his face. His eyes where the most beautiful shade of amber she had ever seen, it didn't help that amber was her favorite color, so yeah, she loved his eyes. Her own where a strange shade of blue. Whenever she saw herself in the mirror, she swore that her eyes had a violet hue. "My eyes are unique," she would say, "at least one good thing in my life." She kept looking at him and noticed he had flaming orange hair. 'Wow, orange hair, I wonder if it's as soft as it looks.' She shook her head, and told herself to forget that comment.

"Oh, right I didn't notice it was raining," she lied. She always knew that she was a horrible liar. The boy looked at her for a moment, and after a minute he started laughing. "What's so funny hmm?" She argued, putting her hands on her hips.

"Oh, nothing, I just can't believe that you didn't feel the rain. You are soaking wet!"

"Well, that's none of your business." She said hotly.

"Okey, calm down, if you want, you can stay here, under this rain, I won't interfere with your thoughts. Well, bye, I guess, see you around, if you want to, ofcourse." He stared at her for what seemed like whole two minutes, as if waiting for her to say something. He opened his mouth but closed it immediately. The boy looked at the ground, still hesitant to leave the petite girl he had encountered. He then started to walk the opposite way, seeming reluctant to leave her in such a state.

"Wait!" She exclaimed, and then lowered her voice a little over a whisper, wanting him to hear her, "don't leave me here, not alone." She watched him turn around, a mixture of disbelieve and happiness present in his features. His eyes were joyous, sparkling beautifully in the moonlight. He outstretched his hand towards her and Rukia looked at it for a while; the look on her face seemed a little startled.

"Hey, I don't bite, come on, take it, I'm taking you home." His voice sounded so calm and comforting, as if it were begging her to trust him. Almost immediately she refused. He looked at her closely, and what he saw broke his heart, she was crying. God only knew that he hated seeing a woman cry, it made him feel so weak and nervous. He walked carefully towards her and stood directly in front of the girl, his presence entirely comforting her. As slowly as possible, not wanting her to feel uneasy, he raised his hand and cupped her soft round cheek. Rukia let out a startled gasp, not believing what he was doing to her. The boy gently whipped her tears away; and only then did he realize how beautiful she really was.

Her big, watery violet eyes complimented her milky white skin perfectly. Her body seemed to radiate softly in the moonlight. Her round cheeks and her little cute nose had a soft red hue due to the cold weather. Her silky raven hair was slightly wet, and swayed gently in the winter air. He felt her trembling slightly, and fought the urge to hug her tightly to him and ask her why she looked so heartbroken. He stared deep into her violet orbs and deep within them he saw sorrow, hurt, and a tiny bit of hope. A wonderful hope he himself didn't know he had created in her. That tiny bit of hope was all it took for him to hug her as tightly as he could, never wanting to let her go, never wanting her to feel the same pain again. He was willing to protect her, a perfect stranger, and _his_ perfect stranger. It was something in her that pulled him towards her, that made him willing to protect her from any harm, and he had yet to find out what it was.

He pulled away gently and caressed her face lovingly, as someone would do to a child, "Why don't you stay at my apartment tonight, and then we can figure out what to do in the morning, okay? By the way, my name is Ichigo Kurosaki." Rukia nodded slightly and replied a bit more confident, "Rukia Kuchiki."

Hesitantly, she allowed him to lead her towards his home; somehow she knew she could trust this man with her heart. All the way, both of them held hands, it didn't seem at all awkward to them, it just felt so right. In a comfortable silence they reached his apartment, and they fell asleep together, side by side. That night, the horrible nightmares disappeared, and instead she dreamt of the boy sleeping peacefully beside her, a perfect stranger, and _her_ perfect stranger.

…..

Rukia was awakened by a gentle hand that was pulling her arm slightly, wanting her to wake up. She groaned happily, knowing well enough who that tiny hand belonged to. "Mommy, wake up." She opened her sleepy eyes and stared drowsily at her daughter, violet orbs met all too familiar amber ones. She was amazed at how alike her twins were to their father, Ai and Daisuke had her silky raven hair and Ichigo's mesmerizing eyes, but still, they looked so much like their father. Behind her daughter was her son, with a slight frown plastered on his face, no doubt annoyed at the thought of waking up so early in the morning. 'If only he were here with me, he would have rejoiced at the sight of our children, he would've laughed at seeing our son with the same facial expression he showed every time he was annoyed at something'.

Rukia got out of the bed, still not knowing the reason why Ai had woke her up. 'I swear, that child is still a mystery to me.' She went straight to the kitchen to make some breakfast for her children. In the meanwhile she turned on the TV, wanting to hear the morning news. Rukia grabbed a pan to fry the eggs, but hearing what the news man was saying made her drop the pan immediately, her hand went straight to her mouth as she starred wide eyed at the screen, making sure that what she was hearing was right. She heard her children come running to the kitchen asking what was wrong, but her thoughts muffled their sweet voices. A solitaire tear of happiness rolled down her cheek, and the only thought present in her mind at the moment was, "He's coming home, to me, to our children!"


	2. Revelation

Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine! T_T

….

"A year has passed already and we've waited anxiously for this moment. I'm glad to say that we have won! Karakura has won thanks to the 36th Squad. Without them we would know be in the jaws of Hueco Mundo. We all give a special thanks to our honorable General Zaraki Kempachi. 5 years ago we lost our beloved former General Byakuya Kuchiki, but back then we still managed to win the battle. 5 years later we won the battle again thanks to General Zaraki Kempachi. I'm proud of our 36th Squad for doing their best for their city. Unfortunately we lost five of our soldiers; among them was the young, well known multimillionaire, Kaien Shiba, the middle-aged veterinarian Sajin Komamura, the winner of the Nobel Prize and one of the best Scientists in the world, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, the most wanted bachelor Izuru Kiba, and the best street fighter Madarame Ikkaku. We, along with their families and friends will be grieving over the deaths of these five great men who were willing to risk everything, even their lives, for the future of Karakura and its citizens. I have been informed that a few soldiers have been taking prisoners by the enemies. I hope that they get rescued soon. The remaining soldiers will be going home in the next 24 hours. I will be saying the names of the returning soldiers…"

Rukia's heart was pounding rapidly in her chest. Her nervousness was at an edge, and the news man's slow voice wasn't making it any better. He still hadn't mentioned Ichigo's name yet. A bead of sweat ran down her cheek. She had been reminded of him, her brother. That was the last thing she wanted. A familiar pain shot through her. They had never gotten along, but his death was a shock to her. He was the only one she had concerning her family. Her parents had died in a car crash. Even after his death, she could still remember his harsh words spoken out with his cold voice. Thankfully she had Ichigo there to hug her when her nightmares got the best of her. She had to live through that pain all these years. Now, with Ichigo gone to war, she feared that he wouldn't return.

Rukia's eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Somehow she knew that the past wouldn't repeat itself, but fate has its own way of doing things. She knew that Ichigo, her Ichigo, the father of her twins was coming home. _Please._

"…Hitsugaya Toshirou," _Please,_ "Jushiro Ukitake," _Please_, "Abarai Renji," _Please_, "Kurosaki Ichigo," _Please_ "Shinsui Kyoraku…" _Plea -_

Her swollen heart leaped with joy at hearing her husband's name. Happy tears made their way down her cheeks.

"He's coming home, to me, to our children." She whispered, placing her trembling hand over her heart.

She looked over at her twins who watched her with a worried look, obviously not catching what the news man had said. She got up and walked to where they were and hugged them with all she had, silent tears running down her face. Rukia broke the hug at looked at their innocent faces. She smoothed their hair, happy that they were going to see their father again, after a year.

"What's wrong mommy?" Ai asked, confused by her actions.

"I love you, you know that don't you, I love you both so much." The twins nodded, they were happy to hear that from her.

…..

Rukia and her children were having dinner when there was a rather loud knock on the door. Her nervousness returned and looked at her kids who had a confused expression. She hadn't told them yet, that their father was coming home; she wanted it to be a surprise. Guessing who it was, she walked to the door, happy tears threatening to spill. She wanted to see him so bad, a year was too much for her, if it weren't for her twins, she would've broken down, but they unknowingly kept her strong and just a look at their faces gave Rukia hope for a better future, a future with the four of them. Her hand shacked slightly as she turned the knob and opened the large door. What she saw surprised her, she was met with a uniformed chest and due to her size, Rukia had to look up. There he was, General Zaraki Kempachi, looking right back at her with that creepy smirk of his. It wasn't him, it wasn't Ichigo. Fear struck her, something had happened. Her tears spilled destroying her hopes for a brief moment. Her eyes widened in terror when Daisuke and Ai came to see what was taking so long. They hugged her legs and looked up at the General's face. Before she could tell them to go inside, he spoke with that chilling voice he possessed,

"Hello Rukia Kurosaki, you sure have grown since the last time I saw you. I have news for you concerning Ichigo."

In that moment, fearing the most, all she could do was stare at him blankly, until she heard her name coming from a different voice, a voice that she remembered too much, a voice that she had dreamt of all those lonely nights.

"Rukia, honey, I'm back."


	3. Return

Disclaimer: I'ii never own Bleach!

…..

Rukia couldn't believe her eyes. There, in front of her was the love of her life, her savior, her best friend, her partner, and her husband. She knew that Ichigo was coming home, but seeing him there, at arms reach triggered something in her heart, something she knew she had been holding ever since he left. She couldn't explain it, it was a mixture of nostalgia and relief, happiness and sorrow. Her heart felt heavy all of a sudden. Her throat clogged up and her tears threatened to spill but for some reason didn't. Curse her ability to suppress her crying incitation. On a rush of impulse, she threw herself at Ichigo, pulling him out of his astonishment and forcing him to catch her: clumsily, albeit delicately, like one would a vase made out of the most exquisite diamonds. Out of overjoyness he softly twirled her around in circles, not missing her graceful laugh and her slightly flushed cheeks. He pleasantly stopped and caressed her silky hair, kissing every inch of her face , her forehead, her perky nose, her closed eyelids, her pink cheeks, and her soft strawberry flavored lips, all the while exchanging hushed I loved you's. Rukia's hands threaded eagerly through Ichigo's hair, wanting desperately to revive the feeling of Ichigo's tangerine hair. She looked directly into his amber joyful amber eyes before smashing her lips against his own chapped ones in a feral kiss that had them spilling all their frustrations and insecurities, until it diminished to light pecks. Embarrassed at her open affection, Rukia hid her face between his neck and collarbone. She heard Ichigo's rich laugh and blush harder.

"Ichigo, I … I thought … I had lost you." The night was filled with a pregnant pause and Rukia shivered out of anticipation.

"Rukia," Ichigo started, forcing her to look up at him. He cupped her cheeks with his hands and held her gaze, making sure she understood what was to be said, "Rukia, honey, I'm not him, ok? I'm not him. You won't lose me, you'll_ never_ lose me. I'm here Rukia, for you, for our children, you got that? I love you, don't ever forget that ok." It was then that Rukia's restrain flew out the window and her tear spilled freely down her rosy cheeks. "Rukia, God, please don't cry, I'll make it up to you ok, just… please."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, softly brushing Ichigo's tangerine hair from above his eyes and kissing his forehead lightly. Her lips lingered there for a few seconds too long, mainly to convince herself that Ichigo was there and that this wasn't a dream. Of course, all the while enjoying how his strong arms were wrapped around her lovingly, proof that he could protect her and their twins. _I love you_, she thought, not daring to say the words out loud, for fear that she might lose her voice. After a while she lowered her lips to his and kissed him gently, a kiss that he gladly returned, although this time it was sweet and loving, a pleasant shiver ran down her spine and she could feel Ichigo smiling against her lips.

A rather rude remark broke the married couple apart, turning their stunned gazes to General Zaraki, "Are you done yet, I also have things to do people, I'll probably come home to a screaming Yachiru if you don't stop this lovey-dovey scene."

Ichigo delicately put Rukia down, realizing that he had been holding her all along, although he had to admit that she was, if not more, softer than ever. Suddenly Ichigo remembered exactly where his was, "My home," he whispered. He noticed Rukia staring at him oddly as if saying, "Did you seriously just say that."

Ichigo turned his bewildered gaze over to his somewhat large house. He inwardly admitted that it was a little too big for the four of them, but he did want more kids, although he knew that Rukia didn't seem to keen to that idea, after all she was the one giving birth to their children and going through all the pain, something that made him disturbingly proud, knowing that she was so strong, regardless of her petite body. Pushing that thought aside, he looked over to his children. A lazy smile made his way to his lips at the sight of his twins. They had grown taller, he noticed, and handsome and beautiful. A swell of pride swept through him knowing full well that they looked just like him, but had the kindness of their mother. He was ecstatic at Rukia and mentally thanked her for bearing strong but amiable and confident children. He knew that they would grow up to be great and important people in the future. He started walking towards them but was caught out of guard as they rapidly ran up to him, he kneeled down to receive them in an affectionate hug, not ever wanting to let go. He kissed the top of their heads, recognizing the smell of the baby shampoo he had bought for them a year ago. His vision clouded with tears, he felt his wall breaking down while holding his children tightly to him. "Ai, Daisuke, my babies, I missed you so much. I'm so sorry." His voice faltered a little when her heard Ai sob.

"Great, another mushy moment, am I ever going to leave this place? What's wrong you people." Zaraki might have appeared stoic, but he knew all too well that he might end up doing the same things with Yachiru and their son. Unfortunately his comment wasn't heard by deaf ears, but Ichigo pointedly ignored him, not caring if Zaraki was of higher rank, he just didn't want to spoil this moment.

"Daddy, we missed you so much," Daisuke wailed, Ichigo couldn't help to smile at the boyish voice of his son. He felt Daisuke's hot tears on his neck and a pang of guilt overwhelmed him.

"Yeah, mommy would sometimes cry in her sleep, I could hear whenever I would go to the kitchen to drink water," Ai added, sobbing dramatically.

He threw an apologetic look at Rukia, mouthing _I love you._ Rukia gave him a forgiving smile, crying her own silent tears at seeing such a seen unfold in front of her. It was proof enough that Ichigo really loved their kids.

Rukia walked over to stand behind the kids and looked down at them. Meanwhile Rukia took this time to analyze Ichigo carefully. His tangerine hair had grown longer, resting handsomely above his eyes. His manly features were sharper and he seemed more tired. His amber eyes were slightly dull, no wonder due to the war. Ichigo knew this, but Rukia noticed that he tried his best not to worry her and the children. She loved that caring side of him. She blushed when she noticed that he had more build and muscle than before. Her eyes widened slightly as the fleeting thought of what Ichigo might be hiding underneath all those clothes crossed her mind. Rukia quickly recovered her thoughts and scolded herself for thinking such things when he himself had given his all to make sure to return safe to his family. To distract herself from thinking of Ichigo's body, she knelt down and hugged the twins form behind, although holding onto Ichigo's arms didn't help much.

Zaraki noticed Rukia's uncomfortable expression with a smirk plastered on his face, and for the sake of helping the woman out, and for his own sake he coughed rudely, amused at the fact that Rukia was the first to break the embrace, of course he expected her to do nothing more than that. Noticing Rukia's eagerness to separate from the hug, Ichigo too followed suit, along with Daisuke and Ai, not noticing the thankful look Rukia sent to Zaraki, who just shrugged as a response. He coughed once again and thanked the heavens when he got their attention.

"Ok people, I came all the way hear and stood my ground while watching your little displays of affection to deliver a rather important news to the Kurosaki family." At this he knew that he had gotten Ichigo's and Rukia's attention. "Ichigo," he started.

"Yes sir."

"I don't know if you've noticed that I'm growing old, but unfortunately I am. Heck, not even Yachiru can keep up with my multiple aging mood swings, and that is saying a lot." He absently rubbed his rough chin with an odd look on his face, no doubt embarrassed at confessing such words, which got Ichigo more intrigued as to what exactly Zaraki was up to, but he kept his silence. The general sighed tiredly and continued on, "Ichigo, I've got my eye on you from the first day I met you, I seriously thought you were just a kid missing his cute little family, after all, you were just twenty-four, but I was surprised when I heard that you already had three year old twins, meaning that you were hardly mature enough to accept the fact of leaving your family and probably dying in the battle field." Zaraki noticed that Rukia lowered her head and thought he heard a sob, but he chose to ignore it, since it wasn't his problem anyway. "You know, I had complete and utter faith in you, knowing that just because you had a family was more than enough reason to continue living." He saw when Ichigo pulled his wife close and kissed the top of her head for reassurance, but turned his piercing gaze to Zaraki, knowing that he didn't say this to all his soldiers. "I saw you on the battle field, you saw your friends getting killed, and you yourself killed many men. I must admit that I was waiting for the moment when you would chicken out and brake down, but you never did. I was impressed to say the least. As the months went by I noticed your will power and strength, you did all you could to save those who needed help, be it on the field or after a fight, but I never saw you lose your cool. I was worried about you, that someday all those pent up emotions would burst and you'd lose control over who you were and hurt those around you, but you never did. All in all you left me impressed kid and I would want no one but you to take charge of my position. As I said before, I'm getting old so I want to settle down with my wife and son before any disgrace happens. So Ichigo, what do you say, General Commander or not?"

The dead silence that followed unnerved Rukia, and before she could usher the kids inside, Ichigo spoke with a tone she had never heard before, a tone that reminded her of Byakuya. "Zaraki, I'm flattered, really, I am, but I'm afraid to say that I'm going to have to refuse the offer. It wouldn't be fair for the kids and Rukia, they need me just as much as Ms. Yachiru and your son need you. I can't leave them again, but no matter what you can always count on me for anything. Thanks anyway." He extended his hand and Zaraki shook it firmly, never breaking eye contact with the young soldier. He admired this boy so much, he just wished his son was more like Ichigo. After breaking the hand shake Ichigo and Rukia bowed to Zaraki and Rukia Immediately held Ichigo's hand for comfort. Zaraki nodded and muttered his thanks to the Kurosaki family. Stretching his muscles he groaned pleasantly, not minding Rukia's raised eyebrow. "Well, with that said, I'll be leaving now." He patted Ichigo's soldier, "You made a good choice son, good luck. Take care of Rukia and the kids." He nodded a farewell to them and continued on his way to his own home. Once he was out of site, she turned towards Ichigo and poked him repeatedly on the forehead for a good three seconds.

"Oi, what was that for," Ichigo whined rubbing his abused forehead. She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"I'm proud of you Ichigo." He couldn't suppress the light blush that crept up his cheeks at seeing Rukia so adorably cute playing with her fingers while having a blush of her own. He hugged her to him and chuckled at her cute gasp.

"Thanks Rukia, I love you so much." He whispered. They stared into each other's eyes and started to lean in for a kiss when they heard muffled voices coming from below them, breaking them off their trance. Both parents looked at their children with an amused expression noticing their difficulty to keep their voices down, completely ignoring their parents. Ichigo raised his eyebrow at Rukia, but all she could do was shrug at his unspoken question. Her children were so mysterious sometimes, but she loved them all the more for that, they looked almost comical. Ichigo snickered at grasping bits of information he knew they were trying so hard to hide. Rukia slightly punched him on the shoulder, wanting their children to think that they were doing a good job at hiding their own little weird information from them. The adults continued to look at them, one encouraging and the other bewildered.

"Mommy, daddy," Daisuke started, breaking their parents out of their revere, innocently thinking that his meeting with his sister was carried out successfully.

"Can we go inside to talk about something really, but really important," Ai continued with what she thought was a serious expression. The parents let the kids have their own little fun.

"Alright baby," Ichigo said, trying hard not to laugh but at the same restraining himself from holding her and cuddling with his daughter. _Curse her cuteness at times like this,_ he though, noticing Rukia's warning glance. Their exchange went totally unnoticed by Daisuke and Ai, who were undoubtedly in their own little secret world. Ai blushed cutely remembering the times her father used to call her that in the past. _Really, does her cuteness have a limit? _Ichigo thought.

The family of four entered the house and after Rukia locked the door, they walked over to the living room and Ichigo and the twins sat on the couch while Rukia went to make some tea. A few moments later, she came with a tray and delicate looking tea cups. She then sat down wanting to know what was so important that they had to tell. As if on cue the twins stood up and looked at their parents in the eye. Rukia grabbed her tea and waited patiently for the twins to continue.

"Mom, dad, we knew that this may be a little too early to say this, but Ai was so excited that we just had to continue with our plan." Ai nodded agreeing with her brother.

"Mommy, daddy, we want a baby brother or sister." Ai stated proudly while squealing excitedly. Rukia choked on her tea and Ichigo almost burnt himself with the still hot liquid, cursing under his breath earning a glare from a very agitated Rukia. Not receiving a verbal response from her parents Ai proposed to ask the question one more time, making Rukia respond a very quick and somewhat embarrassed no. Ichigo noticed Rukia's discomfort and decided to tease her a little. "Don't worry, Ai, we were planning on starting tonight actually."

"Ichigo! Don't say things like that in front of the children," Rukia protested hiding her flushed face in her hands.

"Oh please, as if I didn't see the way you were looking at me earlier, you were totally checking me out. Do you really like my body that much?" He emphasized by flexing his muscles in such a way that Rukia couldn't help but to stare at him as if he had grown another head.

"You're crazy, you know that don't you,"

"Yup, crazy for you, hun."

"Ichigo!"

"What? It's true."

"Yeah, but don't say it out loud."

"Good, better for me, I'll show you just what you do to me tonight, Rukia."

"Ichigo! You're not helping."

"Who said I was trying to help?"

"You're impossible!" Rukia laughed, to which he smirked, loving her laugh.

"Che, so childish." Ichigo and Rukia abruptly turned their gaze to Daisuke, not believing he had just said that. Ai looked at them worriedly, obviously not having a clue of what they were talking about.

"So what if he thinks you make him crazy, you still have Ai and me, Mom, we don't think you make us crazy, right Ai?" Ichigo was stunned at how he had, in his own little way, defended his mother, again he felt proud of his son. Ai nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with Daisuke.

Rukia was completely speechless at her son's innocence that she couldn't help but squeal and hug Daisuke tightly, having no intentions of letting go. "Mom, let go," he whined. Rukia's intentions were flushed down the toilet as she reluctantly let go of him.

"Anyway," Ichigo said, "having a baby isn't as easy as it seems. Your mother and I have to go through some kind of process, a process that I'm really fond of…"

"Ichigo!" Rukia interrupted.

"Okay, okay, as I was saying, your mom might not be with child right away, so we'd have to do it a few more times, but that's alright with me…"

"One more word and you're sleeping on the couch tonight, you hear me!" She didn't admit it, but she loved when Ichigo joked around like that, it made her feel special, knowing that Ichigo still loved her like he said he did.

"Okay, we'll wait mommy, right Daisuke?" The twin nodded in response, looking at their parents curiously, wondering just what this process was that got his mom acting all weird, but he just brushed it off, not wanting to know about it right now.

"Anyway kids, it's all ready time to sleep, have a good night." After hugging their mom and dad and being tucked in by their father for the first time in a year, the twins went peacefully to sleep.

Two and a half hours later…

Ichigo rolled over to his side, not wanting to hurt Rukia with his weight. "God, Rukia, that… that was amazing," he panted.

"Yeah," Ichigo stared at the ceiling thoughtfully, remembering the talk they had with the twins.

"Hey, about what Ai and Daisuke said, do you think we could do it. Could we have a baby?"

"Of course, Ichigo. I would love to have another baby. How about you?"

"I also like the idea, but we really shouldn't rush it, after all I just came back."

"Ichigo?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you so much."

"Love you too, hun."

"Good night."

"Night."

That night, Rukia slept peacefully in Ichigo's strong arms.

7 months later

"Ichigo?"

"What's up, love?"

"Guess what?"

"You love me?"

Rukia giggled at this and Ichigo smiled, not getting tired of her gentle voice, "I'm three weeks pregnant." He choked out his coffee and looked at Rukia. Standing up, he walked over to her and put a hand on top of her stomach and kissed her forehead, "I love you, hun." It was then that she noticed that Ichigo had been crying silently.

"Yey! Mommy's pregnant!"

"Is it a boy or a girl Mom?"

"I don't know yet, but I will soon find out." They rushed over to their mom and hugged each of her legs, their wish finally came true.

9 months later.

A loud baby wail was heard all over the hospital room. "Congratulations, you have an adorable baby girl." The doctor delicately handed the baby to Rukia and she held her baby girl lovingly. "What will her name be Mrs. Kurosaki?"

"Masaki," Rukia answered, looking up at Ichigo for approval, noticing his slightly tear – stained face, when he nodded she continued, "Masaki Kurosaki."

"Thank you, Rukia."

"You're always welcome love. Now go and tell the twins to greet their baby sister."

"Alright, I'll do that." He kissed her softly on the lips before heading out to find the twins.

_I love you, Ichigo, _she thought, _always and forever._


End file.
